Melody

[lolollit-blog]

I missed class last week, so I watched the movie on my own, and unfortunately I missed our class discussions on the differences, but a couple things did stand out to me. It wasn’t a bad movie overall, but there were a few contractions I noticed; for example, they didn’t push the buggy for as long as I imagined them having it in the book, and when they reached the truck on the bridge, they didn’t have the cart with them as described in the novel. Also, Eli in the movie never admitted to not being Eli. But I did like how they kept the dialogue and names the same between the papa and the boy, and the actors they chose for the movie pretty much mirrored that of my imaginings from the reading.

[jeffery-williams]

That is very true, Eli never admitted his name wasn’t Eli, which most people would say probably is not that big of a deal, however I feel it is.  Correct me if I’m wrong but Eli is the only name character we have in the whole book and/or movie, and it turns out this is not even his name!  Also, it is interesting to me that someone would choose to go by the name Eli, being that it is not a very common name, and it a name of a biblical prophet.  I guess it might be fitting for the man who proclaims that he “knew” this was coming.

[lolollit-blog]

Yes, I think that's exactly why McCarthy chose to name him Ely. We found out today on our exam about the significance of the biblical references. But the movie was not bad, so no complaints. I watched it at home so I just chilled basically. But I'm glad the semester's over; I feel intensely less stressed now. It was cool meeting you guys. The Handmaid's Tale was pretty much an overall favorite, though, of mine at least. But Fahrenheit 451 was intriguing, too. I liked exploring different atmospheres than my own. I wish good vibes to all my colleagues and Professor Clark!

[lolollit-blog]

We made it!

Another year complete. I hope everyone has a lovely summer, and for those of you that work in the tourism industry, I hope we make tons of money this season! I'm really glad I took this class, and I really enjoyed learning how to dissect and critically interpret modern literature. To be honest, I didn't even know what dystopia was before taking this course. I feel more educated now, and it was actually fun. Professor Clark, your class was perfect; don't change a thing! You seem really happy and successful and I hope to become as passionate about my career when I get there as you are.

[gabyjones2013-blog]

Last week Post

Yes I’m just now posting but it’s very hard for me to stay on top of things with tumblr. It’s not a bad social media but i feel like it’s more for people with open discussion on things and that’s far from something I like to do. I really be forgetting to post but I do eventually read the books. The road was a book I was a little skittish about reading but I’m glad I did because I love the bond that is portrayed between the man and his son. What I do think is strange is they’re conversations. It is very bland and such a bore but yet they still really care about eachother. I couldn’t imagine living in this world that they live in. It’s very dangerous considering there are cannibals everywhere, plus at times be very tight on food. I love this plot, trying to survive a old world but on the journey to a new one. They’re were some parts that my mouth dropped open on and one part was when the baby was found over the fire!!!! How cruel can you get McCarthy?! There’s already man eating cannibals why have the audience picturing a baby over a fire like it’s some pig. I mean I get why it was on the fire. But that’s just hurtful. #4-8-16

[lolollit-blog]

I agree that it is boring conversations between the dad and son, but maybe that’s exactly why McCarthy added the grimy details of things like cooking a baby over the fire. But yeah, I’m with you on not wanting that shown in the movie. That would be utterly disgusting and I couldn’t look. But I am excited to see the relations and contradictions between the book and the movie. I know I wouldn’t last in a world like that. I guess that’s why everyone, for the most part, is dead. It pains me to picture people needing their medications, the father especially, and slowly dying by the deprivation.

[gabyjones2013-blog]

Yes you are very right. I think it was you who I agreed with in class about their convos. Like why not have a good discussion on a journey such as this. Especially with someone who you know. It was strange. It’s like we know they were close even if they weren’t talking as much. What sucks to me is that father seemed so close at the end but ended up dying because he was sick. That was depressing. But hopefully the movie be really good just like the book!

[lolollit-blog]

Yeah, the lack of curiosity out of the boy was very odd. He was like the perfect child in a fictional story, never whining or throwing tantrums or just being annoying. He seemed beyond his age, but McCarthy probably did that on purpose to demonstrate the indirect effects of surviving in a post-apocalyptic world and growing up in a life of solitude. Additionally, were earthquakes ever mentioned in the book? Because I don't remember reading about them, but I could be wrong. On a different note, I'm really confident about my paper and I'm excited to get those back!

[lolollit-blog]

I missed class last week, so I watched the movie on my own, and unfortunately I missed our class discussions on the differences, but a couple things did stand out to me. It wasn't a bad movie overall, but there were a few contractions I noticed; for example, they didn't push the buggy for as long as I imagined them having it in the book, and when they reached the truck on the bridge, they didn't have the cart with them as described in the novel. Also, Eli in the movie never admitted to not being Eli. But I did like how they kept the dialogue and names the same between the papa and the boy, and the actors they chose for the movie pretty much mirrored that of my imaginings from the reading.

[gabyjones2013-blog]

Last week Post

Yes I’m just now posting but it’s very hard for me to stay on top of things with tumblr. It’s not a bad social media but i feel like it’s more for people with open discussion on things and that’s far from something I like to do. I really be forgetting to post but I do eventually read the books. The road was a book I was a little skittish about reading but I’m glad I did because I love the bond that is portrayed between the man and his son. What I do think is strange is they’re conversations. It is very bland and such a bore but yet they still really care about eachother. I couldn’t imagine living in this world that they live in. It’s very dangerous considering there are cannibals everywhere, plus at times be very tight on food. I love this plot, trying to survive a old world but on the journey to a new one. They’re were some parts that my mouth dropped open on and one part was when the baby was found over the fire!!!! How cruel can you get McCarthy?! There’s already man eating cannibals why have the audience picturing a baby over a fire like it’s some pig. I mean I get why it was on the fire. But that’s just hurtful. #4-8-16

[lolollit-blog]

I agree that it is boring conversations between the dad and son, but maybe that's exactly why McCarthy added the grimy details of things like cooking a baby over the fire. But yeah, I'm with you on not wanting that shown in the movie. That would be utterly disgusting and I couldn't look. But I am excited to see the relations and contradictions between the book and the movie. I know I wouldn't last in a world like that. I guess that's why everyone, for the most part, is dead. It pains me to picture people needing their medications, the father especially, and slowly dying by the deprivation.

[lolollit-blog]

So I'm really hating myself right now. I've always heard of this happening to other people, but I guess I thought I was immune or exempt from this kind of thing. So I was writing my mishnah yesterday; I was literally on a roll. And then my surface warned me that I had 6% battery left, so I plugged it in and kept going. Then without warning, the computer shuts down and won't let me stop it. I lost over 300 words, and only had the 200 words that I started with that I'd saved previously. I punched a pillow about 30 times. What I had was perfect, and trying to write from memory isn't sounding as great on paper, and I just realized I've switched my tense in the process of trying to recreate what I had. Ugh.

[jeffery-williams]

The Road

The Road is a very interesting book to me and is a nice change of pace from our other books.  The book does in some ways remind me of The Walking Dead in the way of a father trying to protect his sons innocence and also Mad Max before everything was just desert.  My favorite thing about this book is the basis of the story, just a father and son against the world.  This is something that I can relate to as my father was the one that raised me and also felt like it was us two against the world.  

[lolollit-blog]

I too was reminded of The Walking Dead by our novel, The Road. There was actually one point in the book where the author used those exact words, "the walking dead," to describe humanity and ultimately themselves. Seeing as all of our other reads ended sorely, I've pretty much lost hope of a fairy tale ending. Nevertheless, I still want for it to end peacefully. I noticed how diligent the son is to his father in their post-apocalyptic world compared to children in our developed country. He blindly obeys commands, because he has knowledge of their life or death situation.

[lolollit-blog]

I'm quite a chunk behind on our reading, and I blame that on the nature of the novel and how slowly it chugs along. There's next to no action in the first and second sections of our assigned pages, and I'm having difficulty staying focused and involved, which is necessary because the author jumps back and forth between scenes and memories, and this method of writing can be confusing and result in me being lost in the plot. Work has been surprisingly very busy and I'm struggling trying to find the time to get through this reading before our quiz on Monday.

[adammorales-posts-blog]

Final thoughts on the Handmaid’s Tale

There are a lot of elements of this novel that I thoroughly enjoyed, most of which are the ones dealing with the way that the narrator felt with reality. Although, in my opinion, the characters seemed a little two dimensional, Offred’s understanding of the past seemed very realistic and relatable, namely her inability to remember specifics from the past. I thought that this was a well thought out element that added character flaw and a little interpretation on the reader’s side. I also enjoyed the ending a lot. Grant it, the last chapter was a little long winded and I kind of got bored a little though, I like how Atwood includes the future of the civilization after everything is said and done. 

[lolollit-blog]

This was my favorite read in this course thus far. I agree, the narrator's lack of exact memories helped to form a realistic and relatable imagery of the world in which they lived. Her back-and-forth efforts of trying to remember exactly how the events occurred created a real-life effect allowing anyone to be able to find a way to put themselves in Offered's shoes and imagine the difficulties of her oppression. Out of everything we have read so far, this novel ended with the most hope for a happy future, although it did bug me that we never found out if she was headed towards freedom or away.

[lolollit-blog]

The Road

I'm only a few pages in, and I won't lie, it's completely dull. It lacks any attempt at a hook, in my opinion. It just dives into the middle of their situation without any exposition, but we may learn that later. Like I said in a previous post, I don't read the backs of books as to illuminate some mystery or suspense for myself. But if I had to guess the setting, I'd say that the father and son (still remaining nameless) are survivors in a post-apocalyptic world, struggling firstly to stay alive by means of food and shelter and secondly to find other survivors. Albeit I could be way off.

[jeffery-williams]

Just why?

We spoke in class about how in the book the “Handmaids Tale” how the women are not allowed anything during child birth because they are supposed to suffer.  Why is this such a common theme?  Thinking about it I guess it all stems from religion, from Adam and Eve?  Anyways, this is not the first time I’ve heard the idea that Women are meant to suffer, but I just cannot understand why.  I believe women have it rough, having to go through their womanly cycles, the judgement of society, child baring, and you want to deny them pain medication during child birth? As a guy, which it is funny to me that most of the time whole idea of women suffering being a good thing stems from men, we have it easy. All we have to do is provide, care, and not be a jerk….. I just cannot imagine why anyone would deny a woman anything to ease pain when they already go through so much, but then again I guess it comes down to blindly following traditions without question.

[lolollit-blog]

In my opinion, religion is more so trying to give an ethical explanation for why nature has created us as seemingly unequal. You know, men are strong and women weak, and so on. If you asked me, I'd say religion is an attempt at science without the means. As human beings, we naturally fiend reason. Adam and Eve of the Bible, like any other religion, instructs us to follow WITHOUT proof. That's where faith comes in to play. And maybe faith wouldn't be so hard for me if there weren't several religions per continent or culture, with mostly the same basic ethical principles repeated. Disclaimer: I'm no religion expert.

[lolollit-blog]

I couldn't stop reading

I literally read chapters 33-41 yesterday all in one sitting. I didn't want to put it down, and that never happens. I usually find some chore or errand or another to distract myself with after a couple chapters. I'm actually really enjoying this novel. I find myself more so taking to Atwood's crude humor and personality, and the events are becoming increasingly exciting. I might just be addicted to this book. It took much willpower to put it down after finishing chapter 41, so I don't confuse myself in class discussion. Spoiler alerts: she finds Moira at a secret club that the Commander sneaks her off to in more or less lingerie, with Nick as their chauffeur. And then she becomes reckless in the following few nights starting a full-on affair with Nick. Oh my god.

[lolollit-blog]

The Handmaid's Tale

I'm a little bit behind on the reading, but that's okay because I have a whole week to do nothing except work and read this novel. AND a whole bunch of naps and soaking up some much needed vitamin D on the lovely, uncrowded beach of course. The further I get in the book, the more vulgar it becomes. Atwood isn't shy and doesn't hold back the most explicit details to say the least. It's actually kind of funny! I'm looking forward to better grasping the plot of this literature while enjoying the week off from school-related stress and anxiety.

[jeffery-williams]

My week

So I missed class this week because I got picked for jury duty.  This was my first time, and was interesting to go through the process.  One thing I thought was really odd was the fact that mine was a civil case and took a week, whereas the other cases being criminal cases were over the same day in a matter of hours.  So deciding someones fate is a couple hour process, but deciding if a local should get 10 million dollars takes all week.  Anyways, my case was a lawsuit against George Davis (the owner of Donavan’s Reef) for 10 million dollars.  The argument was that George Davis did not employee any security resulting in a local man being attacked causing a skull fracture.  We ruled that George Davis was not liable as the attack happened at 6pm in daylight, the victim started the fight, and the victim had a blood alcohol level of .237 two hours after the attack and had lortabs in his system, and evidence was shown that the victim was not completely handicapped. So how does this pertain to this class?  Every day from 8:15am till about 5:15pm I actually got to see Ethos, Pathos and Logos at work.  Every day we heard from expects (Ethos), everything was tied back to the victim and his suffering (Pathos), and we saw data (Logos) such as number of police calls to Donavan’s and police reports.  I’m glad it’s over to be honest but it was fun to go through.

[lolollit-blog]

Oh, wow. I personally know the owner of the little pub Donovan's but I haven't spoken to him or his wife in at least a couple years. That's so crazy! I am a bit confused on the details of the case, though. For example, was it Mr. George who was in the fight, or did it just occur to some random local on the property? Anyway, that's all superbly interesting. I cannot wait to hear more about it when classes resume after our break! I hope everyone enjoys this lovely weather to the same extent or even greater than I have been!

[christopherthewinsomer-blog]

So, what happens next?

Interestingly enough, I’ve had much to contemplate this weekend. I realized that I haven’t read enough. At least l, enough to satiate my constant need to learn (although, I doubt that I ever will). However, that’s one of the reasons I’ve enjoyed this class so much. Not only do I get to learn, there will be four more books under my belt.

I know I’ve made it more than clear that I’ve enjoyed Fahrenheit 451 more than 1984, but regardless, I’ve had the chance to dive into a book and make that opinion. As viewed in both books, the chance to be independent of thought and mind is far and few between. It’s so upsetting to see individuals today innately void of literature and art, simply because they refuse to.

[artislifeslr261-blog]

I feel the same. I now can say that I have read 3 more books compared to before. And actually took the time to take apart the books and analyze the fiction. This really is an elevated book club. I feel more confident going forward in my reading. I think I have an improved ability to break a story down and interpret it in multiple ways. The books have such a strong meaning to them and reading them has helped me as an artist/writer develop my own styles and create a movement so to speak. To make someone stop and think about their everyday life and the choices that they make is incredible! And I hope to build on that ability even more now. It’s sad, I have a friend who adores books and then I have a friend who hasn’t touched a book since the 12th grade. It’s depressing really. To not have a connection to art and literature? Must be a pretty basic and boring lifestyle. It’s a means to escape a reality and develop imagination and creativity. Simply by reading or viewing someone else’s works. I cannot begin to fathom what my spiritual being would be like if I had never developed my artistic eye…ugh I attempted just then and I didn’t like it. #3/05/2016

[lolollit-blog]

I agree with you guys. This class has been a blast so far. I'm obviously excited to get our essays and midterms back to see how we did. But my favorite part about this course would probably have to be the in-depth analyses of our various readings. While reading, I tend to overlook some important aspects of the literature, or may be confused about some parts, but Ms. Clark's lectures and our class discussions clear up any cloudy areas for me, leaving me with an educated, well-rounded overall grasp of the books. I'm looking forward to the knowledge soon to be learned within this course and throughout my other courses.

[lolollit-blog]

On our newest novel, The Handmaid's Tale, I'm only on the fourth chapter, and I didn't read the back of the book purposely just so I could figure it out on my own and create a little suspense, surprise, and creative thinking for myself. My first thought was that they are living in an insane asylum because of the walls with the barbed wire, but now I'm thinking it may be more along the lines of slavery. On another note, the short chapters really allude me to thinking that I'm flying through the book. Regardless, this might be a great read!

[lolollit-blog]

Living in a dystopian society, it’s interesting trying to pinpoint which ones of us (the majority) would stand by and do nothing, and who would become our real-life heroes and swim against the flow of the river by breaking the rules or attempting to make a difference. Of course we like to think that we individually would do something, but when taking into account the lifestyle and brainwashing that the characters of the stories of this main theme we’ve been studying have been either raised into so that it is all they know; it is their normal, or have been subjected to for consecutive years and becomes all they know, we can conclude that we, as we know ourselves to be, would be altered ethically and become irrevocably alternative beings.

[gayliegirlfempower-blog]

I really believe that I would be a rebel, maybe like Winston - a little reluctant at first, but then I would own it. I have always been that way and especially about injustice. I have been blessed with an empathetic heart and many of my life experiences have prepared me to stand up for the weak or downtrodden. I think we all have it within us - I just don’t know if we’re all called that way by our life’s journey. I guess the only thing that matters is if we’re called, will we hear? Will we answer? Will we be ready? You always ask such wonderful questions my classmate. It makes my mind go in a million different directions!

[lolollit-blog]

Oh I'm glad you enjoy my efforts! I just think that living in a world like that of Winston's, we might not be who we think we are in this world. Because we would be raised with different morals and different beliefs. To give an example, some people from other countries, like the reason some of us fear outsiders is because they weren't raised on the same ethical platform as us, and some of what they do that we would consider immoral, to them it is just a duty or way of life. So it is hard to know who, from our present, would transpire to be the hero of an alternative society.